0:00:05 > 0:00:10In 1840, one man transformed travel in the British Isles.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12His name was George Bradshaw
0:00:12 > 0:00:17and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24and where to stay.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Now, 170 years later,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29I'm making a series of journeys
0:00:29 > 0:00:31across the length and breadth of these isles
0:00:31 > 0:00:35to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57I've embarked on a new railway journey
0:00:57 > 0:00:58to rural and coastal Scotland.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00At the beginning of the 19th century,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03much of this country was remote wilderness
0:01:03 > 0:01:06which rarely attracted outside visitors.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09But in Queen Victoria's reign, with the railways,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11the landscape was opened up,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14linking communities, developing industries
0:01:14 > 0:01:18and providing secure and affordable routes for travellers
0:01:18 > 0:01:22to reach even the most northerly parts of her kingdom.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26The first leg of this journey meets a Scottish hero...
0:01:26 > 0:01:30You have to remember there's a cult of Wallace going around. He's an iconic figure.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33He has been ever since his death, or martyrdom, in 1305.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35..continues with a bang..
0:01:38 > 0:01:41..and ends in tragedy.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43And then the whole train descended into the water?
0:01:43 > 0:01:45The whole train descended, everybody was killed.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50The photographs show that really large bits of cast iron
0:01:50 > 0:01:53were bent and twisted. The impact must have been ferocious.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Using my 1880s Bradshaw's, my journey starts in Stirling,
0:01:59 > 0:02:04heads north to Perthshire, onto the granite city of Aberdeen
0:02:04 > 0:02:07and then west, through Inverness-shire,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09to the famous lochs of the Highlands
0:02:09 > 0:02:13before reaching its end at John o' Groats.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Today's leg begins in Stirling, at the heart of Scottish history,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21heads to "The Fair City" of Perth,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23then on to Dunkeld and Birnam,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27ending at Invergowrie on the banks of the River Tay.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36For this Scottish journey,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I'm using an 1880s version of my Bradshaw's guide.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44I'm now heading across the lowlands of Scotland towards Stirling,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46which my Bradshaw's tells me was...
0:02:46 > 0:02:48"The ancient seat of the Scottish kings
0:02:48 > 0:02:49"and capital of Stirlingshire,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52"situated on a beautiful part of the Forth
0:02:52 > 0:02:55"about halfway between Edinburgh and Perth."
0:02:55 > 0:02:59"On a rock above the town rises the castle of Stirling
0:02:59 > 0:03:01"so celebrated in Scottish history."
0:03:01 > 0:03:06And I want to find out why it played such a pivotal role.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12In the 19th century, trade, particularly in agriculture,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15provided Stirling with an injection of wealth -
0:03:15 > 0:03:21an economic boom strengthened with the arrival of the railways in 1848.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Although Stirling is the smallest city in Scotland,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27its castle has a big history.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33From medieval times until Bonnie Prince Charlie's failed siege
0:03:33 > 0:03:38in the 18th century, it's been the focus of military campaigns.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42I'm hoping that castle steward Alan Clater can tell me why.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- Alan, hello.- Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49My Bradshaw's says that Stirling is a key to the Highlands,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52in an important position, frequently contested.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53Why was it so very, very key?
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Well, the town of Stirling is located right in the heart of Scotland,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59it's slap-bang in the middle of the country
0:03:59 > 0:04:02and it's really because of its location that they built a castle,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04a fortress, high up here in this volcanic rock,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06a strategic position second to none.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09In Bradshaw's day, the romanticised version of history
0:04:09 > 0:04:13in Sir Walter Scott's novels was a very popular read
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and the railways brought tourists keen to visit
0:04:16 > 0:04:19where the action in the books had occurred.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21During the Wars of Independence,
0:04:21 > 0:04:25the castle passed between English and Scottish control many times,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29and most of its conquerors added to its fortifications,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31from which you feel as though
0:04:31 > 0:04:35you are looking out over Scottish history.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Six major battles have been fought around these walls -
0:04:38 > 0:04:39the Battle of Stirling Bridge,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the Battle of Bannockburn, the Battle of Sauchieburn,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44two battles at Falkirk
0:04:44 > 0:04:48and the battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51How many of those battles were between the English and the Scottish?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Really three of them, three of them during the Wars of Independence -
0:04:54 > 0:04:56the Battle of Stirling Bridge, Bannockburn,
0:04:56 > 0:04:57and the first battle of Falkirk.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Around the year 1500, James IV of Scotland
0:05:01 > 0:05:05built this impressive forework around the castle entrance.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09The palace sits 250 feet above the plain,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13giving panoramic views of the surrounding terrain.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16And here in the middle of the valley, there's a very prominent tower. What is that?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Ah, that's the National Wallace Monument.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22This was erected in 1869 to commemorate Wallace's great victory
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- over the English at Stirling Bridge. - William Wallace.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28I couldn't come to Stirling without visiting that, could I?
0:05:28 > 0:05:29No, you must.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33The strategic importance of Stirling in medieval history
0:05:33 > 0:05:37is reflected in the key battles that were fought in and around the city.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Today, even from far off,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42the Wallace Monument is an impressive tribute
0:05:42 > 0:05:45to one of Scotland's favourite sons
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and his victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53My Bradshaw's tells me, "About one and a half miles up the river
0:05:53 > 0:05:55"is the site where Kildean Bridge stood,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00"a place where William Wallace defeated the English in 1297.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03"The Wallace Memorial is a high tower on Abbey Craig,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06"a rock 560 feet high."
0:06:06 > 0:06:07And it's Victorian,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10so it wasn't just with Mel Gibson and the movie Braveheart
0:06:10 > 0:06:13that William Wallace was first commemorated.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24There are 246 steps to the top,
0:06:24 > 0:06:29which is a way of ensuring that only hearts beating with Scottish pride will make it.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34'Pride that I'm sure historian Scott McMaster has in abundance.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- Scott.- Hi. - It's worth the climb, isn't it?
0:06:37 > 0:06:40It certainly is for the view, that's for sure.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Now, it intrigues me, this is a Victorian monument.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Was the Victorian era an age of Scottish nationalism,
0:06:47 > 0:06:48Scottish sentiment?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I think there was an element of that, but what you have to remember is
0:06:51 > 0:06:54there's a cult of Wallace going around. He's an iconic figure.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58He has been ever since his death, or martyrdom, in 1305.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00How was it that it was built at Stirling?
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Well, the most important thing is
0:07:02 > 0:07:05that this is the site of the Battle of Stirling Bridge,
0:07:05 > 0:07:06this is where Wallace's forces came
0:07:06 > 0:07:10and camped here, waiting on the English to cross the Stirling Bridge,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12and basically this is where his victory was.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15How important was his victory over King Edward I?
0:07:15 > 0:07:17It was the first time in the medieval period
0:07:17 > 0:07:21where a feudal host had actually been decimated by basically a common army,
0:07:21 > 0:07:22an inexperienced army.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Wallace then went on to become Guardian of Scotland
0:07:25 > 0:07:29and then he began to free Scotland to a certain degree until 1298,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32when Edward returned and decimated them at the Battle of Falkirk.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34He's caught just outside Glasgow,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36taken down to London, put on a show trial,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40and basically executed in the most horrific manner.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41He's hung, drawn and quartered.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44And then, of course, William Wallace has been celebrated by Hollywood
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- in the modern age with the movie Braveheart.- Of course, yeah.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50I mean, there's a lot of artistic license added to that,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53but what the film did do, in terms of this monument,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57it doubled visitor numbers and it made the monument itself.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Instead of being open in a seasonal operation in the '90s,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02it now opens almost 363 days a year.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06So how did the Victorians get themselves organised to build it?
0:08:06 > 0:08:07It was done by public subscription.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Scots patriots, ex-pats in Australia,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13in America, you know, having their Burns evenings and suppers
0:08:13 > 0:08:15and raising money and sending it across.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20It's reported that when the foundation stone was laid in 1861,
0:08:20 > 0:08:25local trains couldn't cope with the throng of visitors from across Britain.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28I wonder whether Mel Gibson's Braveheart film
0:08:28 > 0:08:31has encouraged tourists to visit from further afield.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35I assumed you were Scottish but you don't sound it. Where are you from?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- We're from Germany. - You're from Germany? Wearing kilts?
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Yes, we bought it in Germany for the visits here in Scotland,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and...
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- Is that because you have Scottish backgrounds, Scottish family?- No.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52First, we saw the film Braveheart and we saw the Highlands
0:08:52 > 0:08:54- and...- The nature.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57So we come here to see it with our own eyes.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00And what did you think of it? Did you enjoy the monument?
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- BOTH: Yes, it's very beautiful. - Yeah?- Yeah.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Beautiful view of Stirling and it's something proud.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Having enjoyed that lesson in Scottish history,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12I'm resuming my railway journey,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15moving north-east from the central battlefields.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28This train will take me to Perth, which my Bradshaw's tells me is...
0:09:28 > 0:09:32"The capital of Perthshire, a Parliamentary borough,
0:09:32 > 0:09:33"an army brigade depot
0:09:33 > 0:09:38"and a port to which small craft come up by the Firth of Tay."
0:09:38 > 0:09:41It tells me that, "There's salmon fishing in the river
0:09:41 > 0:09:43"with a fish culture at Stormontfield."
0:09:43 > 0:09:46In Scotland, wherever there's moving water,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49you can bet that someone will be casting a fly.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02As the first spot over which the mighty Tay could be bridged,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Perth was founded by Scottish king David
0:10:05 > 0:10:09in the early 12 century. In the 19th century,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12the town was known for two very Scottish products -
0:10:12 > 0:10:14whisky and salmon.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19And the coming of the railways in 1848 saw them both flourish.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Urban Britain needed food on its plate,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26and when salmon could reach the slabs
0:10:26 > 0:10:28of London's Billingsgate Fish Market
0:10:28 > 0:10:31within hours of leaving Scottish waters,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Perth's fishing industry exploded.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Landlords cashed in by leasing their stretch of the salmon-filled Tay
0:10:38 > 0:10:43to commercial fishermen who laid vast nets to maximise their catch.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I'm visiting the oldest salmon fishery on the planet,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49owned by David Clarke.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- Hello, David.- Hello.- Very, very good to see you. What a fantastic day.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- What a beautiful place. - It's grand, isn't it?
0:10:55 > 0:10:59How long have they been fishing salmon here on the Tay?
0:10:59 > 0:11:00In the 11th century,
0:11:00 > 0:11:05the first charters were given to the monks along the river
0:11:05 > 0:11:11and that continued right up to the dissolution of the monasteries.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Did the Victorians take it another stage?
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Well, they over-fished, basically,
0:11:16 > 0:11:21and I think at one time there was probably a net in the river every quarter of a mile
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- so it was almost impossible for fish to get by.- Yes, far too many.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Nobody had any responsibility for maintaining the stocks.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29If you think about it,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- everyone was in competition with everybody else.- Yes.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35And there was no reason for them to preserve the stocks,
0:11:35 > 0:11:39so, obviously, fish stock would have declined.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Foreseeing the problem of dwindling salmon stocks,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47in 1899 local naturalist and fisherman PD Malloch
0:11:47 > 0:11:52persuaded the landed gentry that it was foolish to over-fish.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55They gave him the financial backing
0:11:55 > 0:11:58to buy up long leases covering many miles of the Tay
0:11:58 > 0:12:02so that he could control fishing and begin to tag Tay salmon
0:12:02 > 0:12:05to keep track of numbers and to learn about their lifecycle.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Malloch tagged a thousand salmon
0:12:10 > 0:12:12and was able to prove, for the first time,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14that salmon did return to their river of birth.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Where it had only been conjecture before, he actually proved it.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20The river is no longer industrially fished,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23but the fly fishermen who pay a pretty penny for the privilege
0:12:23 > 0:12:27expect a sporting chance of a decent catch
0:12:27 > 0:12:30and salmon conservation is as important as ever.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35But even using nets to catch and tag fish for scientific purposes
0:12:35 > 0:12:40before returning them requires patience bordering on stoicism.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41So no sign of anything yet?
0:12:41 > 0:12:44No, but there's some ripples there, you never know.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47They can be right on the beach before you realise there's a fish in there.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52Look at those swirls there, you would think there was a fish, wouldn't you?
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Hard luck, boys. I'm sorry. MICHAEL SIGHS
0:12:54 > 0:12:56- An empty net.- Yes.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58That's a sadness but you don't mind coming down to the river
0:12:58 > 0:13:00- even if the net is empty? - Well, no, exactly.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05- You're very welcome to come back and try any time with us.- Thank you.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16Pursuing my 19th century inspired railway journeys,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18just occasionally I witness a scene
0:13:18 > 0:13:22that could be lifted directly from Victorian times.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Today, watching those men handling nets with skills
0:13:25 > 0:13:27that are passed through the generations
0:13:27 > 0:13:30gave me a special insight
0:13:30 > 0:13:34and a moment of tranquillity that I shall savour.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I've been studying my Bradshaw's guide for a hotel
0:13:42 > 0:13:45to spend the night while I'm here in Perth
0:13:45 > 0:13:48and on a day when I've been thinking about kings and queens,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51this one has a suitably monarchical name -
0:13:51 > 0:13:53The Royal George.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00And I'm excited to be booked in, because although it surprises me,
0:14:00 > 0:14:05Queen Victoria herself once rested her head here at The Royal George.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Well, she would normally have stayed in Scone Palace,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13probably, with Lord Mansfield, but he happened to be in London,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15and the house-keeper here was given one hour's notice
0:14:15 > 0:14:17that the Queen was going to arrive and stay.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Do you have any mementoes of that?
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Yes, indeed, we have the royal warrant that she actually presented
0:14:22 > 0:14:24to the hotel. It's hanging in the hall.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Well, that I have to see. Would you mind showing me?
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- Most certainly.- Thank you.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Here we are, then - one royal warrent.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Well, well, it's hardly pocket-sized, is it?
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- That's superb. What's it made of? - Hand carved solid oak.- Really?
0:14:38 > 0:14:39So, when I stay here tonight,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43I should think of myself as staying in a sort of unofficial palace.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Without a doubt. Quite correct.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Porridge - I love it.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59And nowadays, it's not confined to Scotland, I've had it in Beijing
0:14:59 > 0:15:02and Texas, and the great thing is, every time it's a surprise.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05You can make it with water or milk or cream,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07it can be smooth or it can be gritty,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09but because my mother's Scottish,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11the great thing is how you flavour it.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Not for me sugar... Salt!
0:15:22 > 0:15:23Hmm, that's the way!
0:15:25 > 0:15:29'In 1842, Queen Victoria made her first visit north of the border
0:15:29 > 0:15:33'and loved it, so much so that she bought what she called her
0:15:33 > 0:15:36'"dear paradise in the Highlands", Balmoral.'
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Today, I am joining a gathering that benefitted greatly from her
0:15:40 > 0:15:44new found penchant for all things Scottish.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47My first destination of the day is Dunkeld,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51which my Bradshaw's tells me is "most charmingly situated
0:15:51 > 0:15:52"on the margin of the River Tay,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56"and forms part of the path into the Highlands.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00"It's been aptly designated 'The Eden of the North.'
0:16:00 > 0:16:02"It was the abode of the Culdees in 570,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05"and the capital of ancient Caledonia."
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Well, nowadays, Dunkeld shares its railway station with Birnam,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and I'm alighting there for a competitive event which is decidedly
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Caledonian and has been celebrated annually since Victorian times.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Birnam and Dunkeld are set on opposite sides of the River Tay.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32Dunkeld held the first Highland Games in the 1820s, but, in 1864,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36the event moved to Birnam, where it has been held ever since.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39'Highland dancing, piping, cycling, track
0:16:39 > 0:16:43'and heavyweight prizes are all up for grabs.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Present arms!
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Now that we've had the pipes and the drums and the firing
0:17:10 > 0:17:15of the cannon, our senses have been titillated and the games can begin.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21The Highland Games, though centuries old, suffered an enforced hiatus.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26Jane Anderson, an archivist at nearby Blair Castle, knows more.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Jane, the Highland Games are a wonderful afternoon's fun.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31What was the origin of them?
0:17:31 > 0:17:35They would have originally been much more informal than this, but showing
0:17:35 > 0:17:39the same types of skills - strength, accuracy - all the things that would
0:17:39 > 0:17:43have been needed to show what a good servant you would be of a clansman.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47And have those sorts of games continued ever since?
0:17:47 > 0:17:52There would be quite a gap due to the risings of the people
0:17:52 > 0:17:54in Scotland who supported King James
0:17:54 > 0:17:56and then all Highland culture was stamped on
0:17:56 > 0:17:59by the national government.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01They were very worried about the risings,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04they wanted to put an end to that, so tartan was forbidden,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08weapons were forbidden, bagpipes were forbidden.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09So it's a big gap.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13And then they come back to being greatly popular
0:18:13 > 0:18:16in the middle of the 19th century, is that right?
0:18:16 > 0:18:21Yes, around about 1820s, which was when the visit of George IV was.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25And Queen Victoria then visited Scotland,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and things Highland became fashionable.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31The thing to attend and come and see.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33It's an extraordinary change, that, isn't it?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36From being suppressed to fashionable in a short period of time.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Yes, it was.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39Well, I came here by train today -
0:18:39 > 0:18:41did the railways play a part in the games?
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Yes, the railway arrived here in 1856,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and people came by train from many miles away.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Extra trains came, and just like you today,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55they could appreciate these feats of strength and skill.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Excuse me interrupting.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Welcome, welcome.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Thank you. I did not expect to see an armed man here -
0:19:11 > 0:19:16you've got a rifle, a bayonet, are you expecting trouble today?
0:19:16 > 0:19:19No, I don't think so, we are actually the Atholl Highlanders,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21the Duke of Atholl's private army.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I didn't know there were private armies in the UK today.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Well, we are actually the last private army,
0:19:26 > 0:19:27official private army, in Europe,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and we're based up at Blair Castle 20 miles north of here.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32So what's the history?
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Well, Queen Victoria visited this area in the 1840s
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and the men of Atholl provided a bodyguard for her.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Did you do a good job?
0:19:40 > 0:19:41I think we must have done,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44because the following year she arranged for colours to be
0:19:44 > 0:19:47presented to us, and that to this day gives us the right to bear arms.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Well, a pleasure to see you. Like Queen Victoria,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I'm very impressed by this fine body of men that I've seen here today.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- Thank you very much.- Bye.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Three, two, one!
0:19:59 > 0:20:03This is unbelievable - this is the haggis-eating competition.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05They're trying to get down the haggis
0:20:05 > 0:20:07as quick as they possibly can,
0:20:07 > 0:20:14then each contestant has to keep it down for 40 seconds in order to win.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19'Haggis eating may be an admirable skill, but, for me,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21'one event evokes the Highland Games.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25'It utilises the trunk of a pine tree, weighing up to 80 kilos
0:20:25 > 0:20:28'and nearly six metres long.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31'It's tossing the caber, today judged by Alec Webster.'
0:20:31 > 0:20:33He's picking it up.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Which is a job in itself, isn't it?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Wa-hey, up it goes, he's got hold of it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Now we go behind him. We go behind him.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49There it goes. It's gone over.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Now, sir, how are you going to judge that?
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Well, he's turned it to this side,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57right, that would be about five past 12.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00So if he'd done it perfectly, it would have landed in the 12 o'clock,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02dead ahead of us, and that would be perfect.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04That would be perfect, yes.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08The winner, then, is not the person who's tossed the caber the furthest,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11the winner is the person who's done it the most perfectly.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Most perfectly, that's right.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18'Continuing my Scottish adventure,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21'I'm heading back to Perth Station to push east.'
0:21:28 > 0:21:31I shall leave this train at Invergowrie, from where
0:21:31 > 0:21:35on a clear day I will have a good view of the Tay Rail Bridge.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38My Bradshaw's writes about the bridge's predecessor -
0:21:38 > 0:21:42"This immense viaduct, as constructed by Sir Thomas Bouch,
0:21:42 > 0:21:49"3,450 yards long on 85 spans, was begun in 1870,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53"opened in 1877 and cost £300,000.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59"On Sunday evening, the 28th of December 1879, at about 7.15,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03"in a storm of wind, the middle spans, where they were the widest
0:22:03 > 0:22:08"and at the greatest height above the water, 130 feet,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12"were swept away, with a train of carriages just passing over.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17"Out of 70-80 persons, all perished."
0:22:18 > 0:22:22The Tay Bridge disaster is one of those epic catastrophes
0:22:22 > 0:22:25that is remembered from century to century.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40'Historian Professor Charles McKean has studied the disaster.'
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Charles, hello.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45I suppose this blustery weather is not bad for considering
0:22:45 > 0:22:49the Tay Bridge disaster, and it's a great view from here.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51It is tremendous, but this is two miles wide,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54so we'd be much better to get out there by boat
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- so we could see the thing close up. - Very good, let's do that.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01The bridge was built by the North British Railway company,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05which was in fierce competition with the Caledonian Railway company
0:23:05 > 0:23:08for rail traffic running between London and Aberdeen.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Finished in 1877,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14the Tay crossing was the longest railway bridge in the world.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18However, the engineers had failed to notice a damaged girder -
0:23:18 > 0:23:21the result of corner cutting during construction
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and which had caused season ticket holders to demand refunds
0:23:24 > 0:23:27because their carriages were bouncing.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32In 1879, disaster struck one unlucky train.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35All 75 passengers lost their lives.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38What was it that happened on that night?
0:23:38 > 0:23:41One of the carriages that was empty jumped off track.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44There was a gale, not a very big gale, and it blew that carriage
0:23:44 > 0:23:47against the side of the bridge. The iron fractured and down it went.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Everybody was killed.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53The photographs show that really large bits of cast iron were
0:23:53 > 0:23:56bent and twisted, the impact must have been ferocious.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Is it unique in being the only railway disaster in Britain
0:24:00 > 0:24:01in which everybody has perished?
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I think so, and it caused huge shock at the time,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08because the Victorians believed in technology, it was their bag.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10In our time, it would be comparable
0:24:10 > 0:24:13to a jumbo jet coming out of the sky.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14And who was it who got the blame?
0:24:14 > 0:24:16I think the inquiry was fixed.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19The chairman had been briefed by the Board of Trade,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21they wanted to get a bit back at the engineers,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23so he blamed the engineer, Sir Thomas Bouch.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26They say that he died of a broken heart, do you buy that?
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Not in the slightest, he was convinced it was nothing to do with
0:24:29 > 0:24:32him and by the time he died, all the evidence showed he was right.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39In typical Victorian fashion, engineers soon set about building
0:24:39 > 0:24:41a structure that would restore confidence in the railways,
0:24:41 > 0:24:46and, in 1887, a new double track bridge was opened.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53Construction involved 25,000 tons of iron, 70,000 tons of concrete,
0:24:53 > 0:24:5710 million bricks and 3 million rivets.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02The Caledonian Railway, whose trains from London to Aberdeen ran
0:25:02 > 0:25:05up the west coast, was now vulnerable to its competitor
0:25:05 > 0:25:09North British, which ran its trains up the east coast.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12It planned to scupper its rival.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18So once the North British has got a bridge across the Tay, it now
0:25:18 > 0:25:21has the advantage over running trains up the main line.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25It has the advantage, but for the last 24 miles into Aberdeen
0:25:25 > 0:25:28they're on Caledonian rail, and there's a junction,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and it's run by Caledonian signalmen,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33so every time they see a North British express,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36the Caledonian signalmen put it to red and effectively
0:25:36 > 0:25:41it's dirty tricks, and it's in response to that that North British
0:25:41 > 0:25:45think they've got to expose this to the public gaze, and the best way
0:25:45 > 0:25:47to do this is by railway race.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50And they ran a train from King's Cross to Aberdeen
0:25:50 > 0:25:52and it takes 13 hours, that's down from 18 hours.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Really? They get five hours off the total?
0:25:55 > 0:25:59They get five hours, and the west coast line realise they're losing
0:25:59 > 0:26:03business, dirty tricks isn't winning them any favours so they retaliate
0:26:03 > 0:26:10almost immediately, and during June, July and August 1895 there's
0:26:10 > 0:26:14a sort of railway Olympiad, and people get really burned up about
0:26:14 > 0:26:20it, all the newspapers get going, and it climaxes on the 23rd August.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24You have the west coast leaving Euston at 8pm, the North British
0:26:24 > 0:26:28with the east coast leaving King's Cross at 8pm and they're roaring up.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32By this time, there are people in York railway station
0:26:32 > 0:26:36cheering them through at 3am. Then they arrive at Montrose.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38North British is about four minutes ahead,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42and, as usual, the Caledonian inspector stops the North British
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and allows the west coast line to win.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51But, the North British has filled its train with newspapermen
0:26:51 > 0:26:53and that's what they wanted to do.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57They saw this, and worldwide, throughout the Empire,
0:26:57 > 0:27:02the dirty tricks of the Caledonian railway is exposed to full gaze.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06And, ultimately, the west coast line won the railway race,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09but the North British won the commercial war.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13And indeed the propaganda battle, which I know from my experience
0:27:13 > 0:27:14is one of the most important to win.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Exactly. They had it down to a tee.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29The 19th-century railway boom opened swathes of Scotland to
0:27:29 > 0:27:32leisure travellers for the first time and it spurred the development
0:27:32 > 0:27:36of Scottish industries, but the hell-for-leather competition
0:27:36 > 0:27:41between different railway companies was accompanied by catastrophe.
0:27:41 > 0:27:47Sometimes, even brilliant Victorian engineers had to stop
0:27:47 > 0:27:48to think again.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53'On the next leg of this journey,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56'I learn how Queen Victoria used trackside trees
0:27:56 > 0:27:58'to screen her from her subjects.'
0:27:58 > 0:28:02They were planted at Queen Victoria's request because
0:28:02 > 0:28:05when she was going to Balmoral, the royal train would stop here
0:28:05 > 0:28:08for her breakfast, and she didn't like the locals to see her eating.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11'I lend an ear to the history of a textile mill.'
0:28:11 > 0:28:15Everybody in the factory went deaf eventually.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18- Oh, yes.- Awful.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21'And I'll go out with a bang in Aberdeenshire.'
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Lord, look at that!
0:28:26 > 0:28:29It has changed the shape of the quarry.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd